Graham To Preside At River Ceremony

Gov. Bob Graham is planning a canoe trip down the Northwest Fork of the Loxahatchee River on Saturday morning before presiding over ceremonies dedicating the river as ``wild and scenic.``

The formal ceremony is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. at Jonathan Dickinson State Park, near Hobe Sound in Martin County, according to state Department of Natural Resources officials.

State officials said the public is invited to the ceremony. Admission fees at the state park will be waived for those attending the program.

The U.S. Department of the Interior granted the Northwest Fork wild and scenic status last summer. It`s the first Florida river -- and the only subtropical river -- to be included in the national system.

The South Florida Water Management District is acquiring more than 1,500 acres along the wild and scenic section, which runs from a point west of Jupiter near Indiantown Road to the state park.

The river meanders through northern Palm Beach County and southern Martin County, flowing to the Atlantic Ocean via the Jupiter Inlet. Some sections of the river are very narrow, twisting through a dense cypress stand.

The canopy formed by the ancient cypress trees is one of the river`s most scenic and popular features.